Last Thursday coworker Dave and I went on a road trip to Kansas. We needed to talk to some of our field guys up there plus go to an energy industry meeting. I love going to Kansas. It is very scenic (yep, I think so, really), and the residents take great pride in their state. Regulatory wise in my industry it is a little more restrictive than what I’m used to so sometimes I irritate our Kansas based employees by calling it “The Peoples Republic of Kansas.” But I’m just kidding, they know that.
Dave and I each had new navigation systems. Same manufacturer, different models. We had to check them out so we used both. Let me tell you, you don’t want to go to Kansas without a backup GPS.
We took the back roads. We went through Sharon, Kansas. Home of Martine Mcbride. We happened to run into her. She let us take her picture. Very pretty lady with a great voice. Still runs around the praire barefoot.
We also went through Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Home of Carrie A. Nation. She’s deceased so we didn’t see her. At the cocktail party we went to that night though I led several toasts to her memory. You know, if she took those glasses off and set that hatchet down she wouldn’t look that bad.
Spent the night in Pratt, Kansas very neat tidy midwestern town. Brick streets, all that good stuff. They have their Miss Kansas pageant there. Several have won the Miss America pageant. I don’t think Carrie would have won. Smashing whiskey bottles isn’t much of a talent, and the bathing suit segment would have been a problem for her.
After our meetings, dinner, and cocktail party I went geocaching. There a couple dozen caches in Pratt. I did not find a one. Made a bad decision on the route to them (I walked) by the time I got in the vicinity it was way dark. I had a great walk though. About seven miles all told. Most of it was out in the country. 
Or this house. Sorry for the blurriness. I didn’t have a tripod.
Pratt has a park called Lemon Park. Great lighted walking trails that meander all over the place. 10 PM and there were all sorts of people walking their dogs and walking together, I loved it. Not a hint of the creep factor that one sees sometimes in parks late at night.
Next day, time to head back to T town. Dave and I loaded up on Fat Tire Beer. (I mean we bought a couple cases of it, not go on a drinking binge.) Cannot get it in Oklahoma because of our strange liquor laws.
Oh a friend of mine LOVES Fat Tire and she gets it in Texas I think.
Find any geocaches?
No Queen B, I was totally skunked. But enjoyed a very long walk looking.
Thanks for sharing your trip. That was fun. 🙂
I go through Kansas everytime I go to visit family in KC Missouri. You found some interesting places. I usually have a hard time staying awake. I didn’t know Martina was from Kansas. Love the shot of the house in the dark.
“She’s dead so we didn’t see her.”
GOOD ONE!
I needed all the laughs I could get today. It’s been one of those daaaaaaaaaaze.
Good stuff on your blog. I enjoy visiting it… About Fat Tire, the best explaination I’ve heard on why we don’t get this in OK came from a clerk at Booze Brothers in Eureka Springs. He said New Belgium requires Fat Tire to be refrigerated all the way up to the point of sale. Something about the filtering process isn’t optimal unless it maintains a cold temperature. Because we don’t get to have cold beers in our liquor stores, New Belgium won’t seel any of its products in OK because it can’t sell its flagship product the way it likes. Drives me nuts too and I alway stock up when I’m across the border. My wife really likes the Skinny Dip, which is their low carb (95 carbs i think) beer. My favorites right now are the Left Hand Sawtooth Ale and the Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I would recommend trying them if you have not already…